Chapter 218 – Return to Sky Fortune Kingdom

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“Mm…” Mu Qianyu lowered her head, deep in thought. She finally said, “There’s a way. As long as you enter into an illusionary world, after killing him you can destroy his corpse and erase the clues.”

Mu Qianyu didn’t ask who Lin Ming was planning to kill or the reason why he wanted to kill. To her, those she liked were her friends, and those she hated were her enemies; she did not differentiate between good and evil, right and wrong.

“This is for you…”

Mu Qianyu took out a sparkling and crystal clear purple pearl from her spatial ring. “This is the Dreamland Pearl. After it’s activated, it will form an illusionary world; anyone under the Xiantian realm will not be able to escape. Not only that, but those around will not notice any difference. This can be considered an independent and separate space; it will isolate you and your enemy inside. All information inside will be contained and cut off from the outside world. Not even a sound transmitting talisman will be able to pass through. You will have enough time to kill him and clear out the scene.”

Lin Ming happily received the purple pearl. As he was about to place it in his spatial ring, he thought for a moment and then asked, “Is this Dreamland Pearl expensive?”

Mu Qianyu gaily laughed, the glittering sunlight shining down on her incomparably beautiful face; it was as if fairies of light were dancing upon her. She was simply one of those legendary beauties that were able to cause the downfall of nations and topple empires.

“Consider this my gift to you. But, you must be careful. This Dreamland Pearl will not help you kill anyone – that will depend on yourself.”

Seeing the radiant beauty of Mu Qianyu, Lin Ming lost focus for a moment. He shook his head, letting out a breath as he gathered himself, suppressing the fluttering of his heart. He nodded and said, “Mm. I’m confident in myself.”

“Haha, I don’t believe there is any matter that you cannot grasp within your reach. Even the Thunder Soul that I thought was impossible to absorb was swallowed by you.” Mu Qianyu said as she smiled.

Neither of them mentioned that matter of them parting ways. After the two of them had breakfast, Lin Ming left to go hunting as usual. However, as he left the cave, he had a feeling that when he came back, she would probably have already left…

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“It’s time to go Little Flame, aren’t you willing?” Mu Qianyu smiled as she stroked the Vermillion Bird’s head. The Vermillion Bird had a very reluctant expression at the moment.

Mu Qianyu testily said, “You promised. And you’ve already had several pieces of barbecue.”

The Vermillion Bird blinked, its face full of sad grievance. Ever since it had been born, it had lived on Divine Phoenix Island. It ate the rarest flowers and the tenderest bamboo, and drank the fresh dew of a spring morning. These delicacies weren’t polluted by the foul Houtian air and may have appeared good to eat, but after so many years they had eventually become bland and tasteless.

“Well, It’s time to go, we still have many matters to attend to. If you are still so hungry next time, then I’ll bring you out to eat some roasted meat.” Mu Qianyu said. She tapped her toes and gently floated upwards, landing onto the Vermillion Bird’s back.

As the Vermillion Bird left the cave, Mu Qianyu glanced back one more time.

The fire in the cave had already extinguished. The branches had formed together to make a simple shelter, and the pot of soup was still warm. On one side was a neat bed of straw; that was where she had slept for three days.

It was such a simple arrangement, and yet Mu Qianyu felt a hint of warmth. Sunny days, pleasant memories. She looked towards it with nostalgia, reluctant to leave.

Mu Qianyu lightly sighed. She pulled out a pair of small porcelain bottles from her spatial ring and also a jade slip. She used her soul force to write down a message, and then the porcelain bottles and jade slip seemed to grow wings as they flew into the cave and gently landed on a flat rock inside.

With a strange feeling, as if something were pressing down on her heart, Mu Qianyu patted the Vermillion Bird’s head and said, “Let’s go, Little Flame.”

The Vermillion Bird let out a clear cry, and spread its wings and flew into the sky.

With a whirring sound, the Vermillion Bird flew faster and faster. Mu Qianyu couldn’t help but look one more time. In her eyes, the cave had already reduced to the size of a palm, and shortly vanished from her sight.

“Maybe… if fate wills it, we will meet again…”

………………………..

When Lin Ming was carrying some game back, he saw the empty cave; the familiar crimson beauty had already left, and the Vermillion Bird had flown away, leaving behind several splendid feathers. Next to the feathers were two porcelain bottles and also a jade slip.

Lin Ming sighed, somewhat sad and low in spirits. He wasn’t too surprised, he had already guessed that they would part in such a manner. But this time, he felt an inexplicable melancholy in his heart.

He casually tossed aside the game and walked over to sit down on the rocks. He picked up a few of the crimson, fiery feathers, and caressed them for a moment before carefully placing them into his spatial ring. Then, Lin Ming picked up the porcelain bottles and the jade slip.

The porcelain bottles were cool like jade, and there was a light scent to them that was left behind by Mu Qianyu.

He sank his soul force into the jade slip, inside was a short message.

Although it was a bit rude, I thought that leaving without farewells was a better way to part. I want to deeply thank you for helping me expel the Purple Flood Dragon Divine Thunder. I’ve left behind two bottles of pills for you.

I had originally wanted to leave behind some miracle medicines that could directly enhance your cultivation, but after some thinking, I believe it’s best if you rely on yourself to cultivate. Slowly accumulating cultivation bit by bit is the most secure and safe method. Therefore I left behind a bottle of Spirit Gathering Pills in order to increase your rate of cultivation. There are altogether 20 of them; you will experience the best effects if you wait until you reach the Pulse Condensation period.

The other bottle contains Divine Spiritual Pills. There are only three of them. For martial artists below the Xiantian realm, they can momentarily enhance one’s cultivation so that you can go beyond the limit of your current combat skill. If you encounter an unexpected danger, take a Divine Spiritual Pill and it can help you safely escape.

I am from Divine Phoenix Island. If destiny wills it, then our paths will cross again someday.

Mu Qianyu.

Lin Ming placed the pills and the jade slip into his spatial ring. He sighed. These past days had been like a fleeting dream. But in the end, he still had to awaken from the dream, no matter how wonderful it was. There were still many matters that he had to attend to.

He wanted to take the eternal flame of the Firm Worm Tribe, but currently the Fire Worm Shaman was too strong. With just his flame avatar, Lin Ming had been chased down and nearly killed. Even though he had the Purple Flood Dragon Divine Thunder, he didn’t have an absolute assurance that he would be able to defeat him.

And even if he killed the Fire Worm Shaman, absorbing the eternal flame’s Flame Essence wouldn’t be easy with his current strength. He could only lay this down for the moment and return at some later time.

The most immediate matter was to return to Sky Fortune Kingdom and kill Ouyang Dihua.

If it wasn’t for the fact that he had accidently learnt Thunderfire Annihilation and also obtained a Thunderbolt Devilfire Bead, then Lin Ming would have most likely already been killed by Huo Gong. He had no alternative but to avenge this grudge!

“Ouyang Dihua’s cultivation is only at the middle Pulse Condensation period. But his uncle is an Elder of the Seven Profound Valleys, and the cultivation methods he studies are far beyond those of normal martial artists. His total combat strength should at least be equal to a peak Pulse Condensation martial artist. He should be able to fight toe-to-toe with Chi Guda. With this cultivation, it won’t be difficult to kill him!

…………………..

As the plants of the Southern Wilderness began to bloom, Sky Fortune City had already entered into a deep winter.

The cold winds blew down, and gusts of chilling air curled around as if they could drill into a person’s bones.

The trees were already bare of leaves, and snow had piled high onto the streets. There were very few pedestrians on the streets, and even the usually ubiquitous peddlers and merchants were nowhere to be seen. A silence had fallen upon the once noisy streets, and there was only the occasional sound of a barking dog. There were new posts on the message boards, the frosted windows tinkled in the cold wind.

In Sky Fortune City, every family had a cozy fire in their house. Wealthy families sat on heated brick beds, eating delicious hotpot. The poor would boil a pot of ginger soup to warm their family’s stomachs. In Sky Fortune Kingdom’s capital, even the common people lived in relative prosperity, there were very few who would starve or freeze to death.

In the vast endless snow of Sky Fortune City, in the southwest courtyard of a great mansion, there was a waterside pavilion that was luxuriously decorated to the brim.

During this cold season, the lake should have already frozen over. But at the bottom of the lake there was a small array that was extracting geothermal heat upwards, maintaining a suitable temperature for the lake’s waters. There were even several breeds of water lotuses that were planted in the lake. Although they didn’t bloom, their leaves were still a vibrant green. In this cold season, such a green was truly a luxurious color.

In the waterside pavilion, there were two expensively dressed high-class men that were sitting down, facing each other.

They wore mink furs, silk-lined jackets, thick moccasins, and there was a golden purple stove heating them. In front of these two was an exquisite sandalwood table lined with meticulously crafted desserts and a jar of vintage wine. Even in this cold season, there were rare litchi grapes on the table.

All of these were a demonstration of the owner’s wealth.

Of these two people, one was the current Seven Profound Envoy of Sky Fortune Kingdom, Ouyang Dihua, and the other was the Head of the Allied Trade Association’s Zhang Family, Zhang Guanyu’s father, Zhang Fengxian.

After Zhang Guanyu had been crippled, Zhang Fengxian had taken Lin Ming as his enemy.

However, Lin Ming’s strength was simply too powerful, and his status was entrenched in the populace. He also had the support of the Seven Profound Martial House and the Crown Prince. Zhang Fengxian knew well that with just his own influence and power, it was simply impossible for him to deal with Lin Ming.

Ouyang gazed at the scenery outside the pavilion as he silently drank a glass of wine. He quietly said, “Has there been any news?”

Zhang Fengxian sighed. He shook his head and said, “The Southern Wilderness is 100,000 miles wide. The terrain within is complex; there are forests, jungles, swamps, mountains, grasslands, and all sorts of ghost-like vicious beasts. There are countless large and small tribes. To look for a single person with just a portrait alone is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

A month and a half ago, Lin Ming and Huo Gong had gone missing in the Southern Wilderness. The two Heavenly Wind Eagles that were with them had also disappeared. After hearing this news, Ouyang Dihua was somewhat perturbed, he began to investigate it. But although he had a high status, the amount of manpower at his disposal was actually very limited; therefore he had used the power of the Allied Trade Association to conduct an investigation in secret.

In Ouyang Dihua’s eyes, for Huo Gong who was a half-step into the Houtian realm to kill Lin Ming, it should be guaranteed as long as there wasn’t an accident.

When Huo Gong had gone missing, Ouyang Dihua had thought that maybe it was Qin Ziya who had been moving in the shadows. But half a month ago, Qin Ziya had come back, oblivious to the matter of Lin Ming’s disappearance.

Seeing that Qin Ziya didn’t know anything of what was going on, Ouyang Dihua felt his heart drop into his stomach. He had deduced that Lin Ming had absolutely died. But the question was, where did Huo Gong go?

Did he die in some accident in the Southern Wilderness? Or was it that after killing Lin Ming, he had found some amazing secret on his body and fled with it?

Ouyang Dihua didn’t worry about these two possibilities. What he most worried about was that Lin Ming had not died, and was like a venomous serpent that was waiting to ambush him. If that was the case, then he would be in danger. Lin Ming’s growth was simply fearful. In a few years, perhaps Lin Ming’s strength would exceed his own!

Seeing Ouyang Dihua look so unsettled and unsure, Zhang Fengxian tentatively said, “Mister Ouyang, I’ve discussed before that maybe if we act on Lin Ming’s family then we can force him out. If he doesn’t come out, then that proves that he has already died. What does Mister Ouyang think?”

Zhang Fengxian also wanted to ruin Lin Ming’s family. Otherwise, it would be difficult to resolve the hatred that was in his heart.

But what he didn’t know, was that while he and Ouyang Dihua were talking, a creeping invisible enchantment had already fallen upon them, enveloping them within its grip, and completely isolating them from the outside world…